दानं दत्तं तेन सर्वं तेन सर्वे मखाः कृताः । तेन प्रपूजितो विष्णुर्यद्भक्तिर्भीष्म मातरि
By her, all charity is given, all sacrifices are performed; by her, Vishnu is worshipped, O Bhishma, as by devotion to the mother.
गङ्गायां धर्मकर्माणि क्रियंते यानि कानि च । अक्षयानि भवंत्यस्य तानि सर्वाणि जैमिने
Whatever righteous acts are performed in Ganga—of any kind, O Jaimini—all those become inexhaustible for that person.
वहंतं जलमालोक्य गाङ्गेयानि जलानि यः । भक्त्या गच्छेत्समुत्थाय सोऽश्वमेधसहस्रकृत्
Whoever, seeing the flowing waters of Ganga, rises and approaches her waters with devotion, is as if he has performed a thousand horse sacrifices.
गङ्गाजलेष्वागतेषु यो नो तिष्ठति भक्तितः । पशुता शाश्वती तस्य जन्मजन्मनि जैमिने
Whoever does not stand with devotion in the waters of Ganga, when they are present, O Jaimini, for him there is perpetual animal birth, life after life.
गाङ्गेयं जलमासाद्य यो न गृह्णाति भक्तितः । जन्मकोट्यर्जितं पुण्यं क्षणादेव तु नश्यति
Whoever, having reached Ganga's water, does not take it with devotion, his merit accumulated over ten million births is instantly destroyed.
गङ्गातीरं जिगमिषुं यस्तु वारयते द्विज । स कोटिकुलसंयुक्तो रौरवं नरकं व्रजेत्
A Brahmin who prevents someone wishing to go to the bank of Ganga, he, though born in a noble family, goes to the hell called Raurava.
मूत्रं वाथ पुरीषं वा गंगातीरे करोति यः । न दृष्टा निष्कृतिस्तस्य कल्पकोटिशतैरपि
Whoever passes urine or feces on the bank of Ganga, for him there is no expiation, even in a hundred million aeons.
श्लेष्माणं वापि निष्ठीवं दूषिकां वाश्रु वा मलम् । गंगातीरे त्यजेद्यस्तु स नूनं नारकी भवेत्
Whoever spits phlegm, saliva, or throws filth, tears, or excrement on the bank of Ganga, he certainly becomes a denizen of hell.
उच्छिष्टं कफकं चैव गङ्गागर्भे च यस्त्यजेत् । स याति नरकं घोरं ब्रह्महत्यां च विंदति
Whoever discards leftovers or phlegm in the body of Ganga, he goes to terrible hell and incurs the sin of killing a Brahmin.
गङ्गारोधसि यः पापं कुरुते मूढधीर्नरः । तदक्षय भवेन्नूनं नान्यतीर्थेषु शाम्यति
A foolish man who commits sin on the bank of Ganga—such sin is surely inexhaustible and is not pacified at any other holy place.
अन्यतीर्थे कृतं पापं गङ्गायां च विनश्यति । गङ्गायां यत्कृतं पापं तत्कुत्रापि न शाम्यते
Sin committed at other holy places is destroyed in Ganga, but sin committed in Ganga is not pacified anywhere.
तस्मात्पापं न कर्तव्यं गङ्गायां शास्त्रकोविदैः । कर्मणा मनसा वाचा कर्तव्यो धर्मसंग्रहः
Therefore, those learned in scripture should not commit sin in Ganga; by deed, thought, and word, one should practice the collection of righteousness.
न ते देशा न ते शैला न च तानि वनानि च । पापविध्वंसिनी यत्र न तिष्ठेत्सुरनिम्नगा
There are no lands, no mountains, nor forests where the divine river does not destroy sin by her presence.
गङ्गातीरं परित्यज्य मुहूर्तमपि जैमिने । न च स्थातव्यमन्यत्र यदि कार्यशतान्यपि
O Jaimini, having left the bank of Ganga, one should not stay elsewhere even for a moment, even if there are hundreds of duties to perform.
भिक्षान्नमपि भुक्त्वा च स्थातव्यं जाह्नवीतटे । न चान्यत्र क्षणमपि प्राप्य भूपालतामपि
Even after eating alms-food, one must remain on the bank of the Ganges; not even for a moment should one go elsewhere, even if one attains kingship.
संत्यज्य देहं गङ्गायां ब्रह्महापि विमुच्यते । अन्यत्र मुक्तये न स्यादश्वमेधसहस्रकृत्
Even a slayer of a Brahmin, abandoning the body in the Ganges, is freed; elsewhere, liberation is not attained, even by performing a thousand horse sacrifices.
गङ्गातीरे वसन्यस्तु हरिपूजापरो भवेत् । जन्मजन्मांतरे येन कदाचिन्नार्चितो हरिः
Whoever dwells on the bank of the Ganges and is devoted to worshipping Hari, even if Hari was never worshipped by him in any birth,
भक्तिर्भवति नैतस्य गङ्गायां लोकमातरि । श्रूयतां मानवाः सर्वे भूयोभूयो ब्रवीम्यहम्
Devotion does not arise in him towards the Ganges, the mother of worlds. Hear, all humans, I declare again and again.
स्नानं विधाय गङ्गायां गम्यतां परमं पदम् । मृत्युकाले भजेद्यस्तु गङ्गागङ्गेति मानवः
After bathing in the Ganges, one attains the supreme state; whoever, at the time of death, chants 'Ganga, Ganga,'
विमुक्तःपातकैः सर्वैर्दिवि देवयुगायुतम् । यस्य गङ्गाकथारम्भो मृत्युकाले भवेद्द्विज
Is freed from all sins and dwells in heaven for tens of thousands of divine ages; for whom the narration of the Ganges begins at the time of death, O twice-born.
स गच्छेद्विष्णुभवनं गलिताखिल कल्मषः । यस्तु स्मरति वै प्राज्ञो मृत्युकाले द्विजोत्तम
He goes to the abode of Vishnu, all impurities having fallen away; whoever, wise at the time of death, remembers, O best of twice-born,
गङ्गेति मुक्तिदं नाम तस्य तुष्टो भवेद्धरिः । मृत्युकाले भवेद्यस्तु गङ्गामृत्पुण्ड्रमुत्तमम्
The name 'Ganga,' which grants liberation, Hari becomes pleased with him; whoever, at the time of death, possesses the excellent Ganga-water mark,
गङ्गास्नायिनमालोक्य त्यजेद्यस्तु कलेवरम् । श्मशानेऽपि द्विजश्रेष्ठ स गङ्गामरणं लभेत्
Who, upon seeing a Ganges-bather, abandons the body—even in the cremation ground, O best of twice-born, he attains death on the Ganges.
तिष्ठंत्यस्थीनि गङ्गायां यावत्कालं शरीरिणः । तावत्कल्पसहस्राणि विष्णुलोके महीयते
As long as the bones remain in the Ganges, so long as the body endures, for thousands of aeons he is honored in the world of Vishnu.
यस्य मज्जन्ति गङ्गायां भस्मास्थीनि नखानि च । शिरोरुहाण्यपि प्राज्ञः स विष्णोर्भुवनं वसेत्
Whose ashes, bones, nails, and even hair sink in the Ganges, O wise one, he dwells in the realm of Vishnu.
स्थितेष्वस्थिषु गङ्गायां यत्कर्म लभते नरः । ब्रवीमि तत्फलं सर्वं शृणु नान्यमना द्विज
While the bones remain in the Ganges, whatever action a man performs, I declare its entire fruit—listen, O twice-born, with undistracted mind.
एकदा भगवाञ्छक्रो नानालंकारभूषितः । क्रीडागृहं ययौ कामी युवत्या पद्मगंधया
Once, the blessed Shakra, adorned with various ornaments, desiring pleasure, went to the playhouse with a young woman fragrant with lotus.
पद्मगंधा रसज्ञा सा संप्राप्त नवयौवना । नानारसप्रदानेन चकार सुरसं प्रति
She, fragrant with lotus and skilled in taste, having attained fresh youth, by offering various pleasures, delighted the lord of the gods.
सपत्न्याः स्वर्णपर्यंके तस्याः शिशुमृगीदृशः । प्रीतः पादतले जिष्णुरुवास स्मरमोहितः
On the golden couch of his co-wife, he, pleased and overcome by passion, dwelt at her feet, whose eyes were like those of a fawn.
अथ तस्यै स्वयं शक्रो निर्माय स्वर्णवीटिकाम् । ददाति परमप्रीतस्तद्गुणाकृष्टमानसः
Then Shakra himself, exceedingly pleased and his mind attracted by her qualities, fashioned a golden box and gave it to her.